@ScotTi,
Does 'Princess Leisha' develop a trunk and lose its lower leaves?
If I ever decide to get one, I woud want a compact one that keeps its lower leaves, doesn't develop a trunk, and has a lot of red and/or pink in the foliage, along with green.

I saw Cordyline 'Picasso' today at Stauffers of Kissil Gill, Lancaster's largest garden center/greenhouse. I love its colors, but it is big!

There are mini Ti's but i am not sure any of those have the bright colors you are looking for.

Carol, I have a pretty one that stays quite small, maybe 30in. and has red, green and white leaves. It's called 'Ballerina'. It does lose some leaves off the lower stems, but if it gets leggy, you can always just cut the long stems, shorten them, and stick them back into the pot to root and make the plant more bushy. A great attribute of these plants.

I'll get a picture of it for you tomorrow.

Carol, I have found that the "Juno" types (broad Leaf) are much slower to produce the trunk. I have had "Princess Leisha" for 8 yrs it comes in at 47" tall with 16" of leafless bottom cane and I have never cut it back. It has started branching from the lower cane and should make for a bushy plant in the future.
'Black Magic' a longer leaf Ti that is often found in garden centers is also slow to produce leafless cane. I have had this one for 14+ yrs and it is about 3' with only a few inches of leafless cane.

The cultivars of the Tis I have seen at the garden centers in my area are generally not specified. The Ti I saw yesterday at Stauffer's, Picasso, is the only named cultivar I have seen.

Are there Juno types with red, pink and green multicolored foliage? Is there a way to know that an unidentified cultivar is a Juno?

Yes, to get a specific cultivar, you might need to order your plant or plants online. I got my two interesting cultivars from Vintage Green Farms in Hawaii. Their prices and shipping charges are very reasonable, generally in line or just a bit more than you'd pay at a local nursery. Vintage Green has lots of interesting cultivars, including that lovely 'Princess Leisha' that Scott was showing us. (I wouldn't recommend ordering in winter, though. The plants might get too cold in transit.)

Here are the pics of my Cordyline 'Ballerina'. You can see in the first picture the 4 long trunks going out to the right. I'm going to wait until the weather warms up in February, and cut them off to root for new plants. But if I potted this plant up, I could just stick them straight into the new pot to fill out if I wanted to. Second pic shows the bright colors on the newer leaf. This plant was crushed down by a fallen branch in September after the hurricane, and I didn't rescue it for at least a month, so it kept growing but made leaves with more green and less color. Now that I've moved it out to a better light situation it's making it's pretty colored leaves again.

Here is WIllii's Gold all decked out for cold weather and the holidays. This pot is too heavy to move to a protected spot. These are old timey lights that get warm unlike the LED's you can buy now that do not put out any heat. I tried this first time last winter and it worked well for this plant.

Carol, as you can see there is one tall shoot and it does have a bare stem. I will probably cut that one off come Spring and stick it in the pot where it will quickly take root. I could cut it off now and root it indoors but I have enough plants in the house already. The pot looks full because I have been sticking cuttings in there for several years and the main stem has branched.

Alice, Get photos of your 'Willi's Gold' in the database that is a perfect color example of the plant.

Thanks, I'll do that. Might even have some without lights around here somewhere.

Carol, Juno is a leaf type that is wide and not long. 'Willi's Gold' in the post above is a Juno leaf type.

Hello all! I would like to ask if all of you have your cordylines planted outside, or is there anyone having them as house plants. Do they survive inside the house? Thank you!

Some other 'Juno' leaf Cordylines
'Tutu Elena'


'Chocolate Dancer'


'Ele Ele'


and my 'Willi's Gold' that has lost the great coloring.

Faridat said:Hello all! I would like to ask if all of you have your cordylines planted outside, or is there anyone having them as house plants. Do they survive inside the house? Thank you!

I grow them outside only.

I've definitely seen them grown as indoor plants, but they do need a very good light source, and they like humidity. So a bathroom or kitchen with big windows and/or skylights would work great for Cordy's indoors.

I am beginning to conclude that keeping abundant foliage near the base of Ti plants is going against their nature, i.e., to be trees. The reason that I want foliage near the base is that my first exposure to Ti plants, and the source of my obsession, was the Ti plant Cordyline fruticosa Pink Pepper growing in the conservatory at Longwood Gardens over the 2016-17 winter, and shown here:





As you can see, there does not appear to be a trunk. Based on the very helpful information all of you have provided here in this thread, I am wondering if the Pink Pepper plants were very recent cuttings that ultimately would grow trunks. Maybe I am wishing for and expecting something that is very un-natural when I want a Ti plant that doesn't develop a leafless trunk and, instead, maintains abundant foliage near its base. I would be very grateful for your perspective.

I do not know the specific characteristics of 'Pink Pepper' but those plants at Longwood just look like like they are young to "middle aged". They seem fuller than new cuttings. The plants do not develop the bare trunk until they have some age on them - often that means years.

dyzzypyxxy said:I've definitely seen them grown as indoor plants, but they do need a very good light source, and they like humidity. So a bathroom or kitchen with big windows and/or skylights would work great for Cordy's indoors.

Thank you! I am thinking of getting another one, I had a Cordyline Australis disappointment recently, but will replace it with a Ti Plant and hope to make it this time. I think I have enough light to suit her needs.

I have thought that 'Fairchild Red' (aka 'Americana') would make for a nice sunny windowsill plant. This one stays small and compact. I have had my original plant for over 10 years and it has not grown over 12" tall. Makes for a nice bushy plant.




A more shade grown plant.


Not often seen for sale.




If I remember correctly I purchased my second addition from Mark Peters at a USF plant sale.
Web site: www.PetersCrotonNursery.com

csandt said:I am beginning to conclude that keeping abundant foliage near the base of Ti plants is going against their nature, i.e., to be trees. The reason that I want foliage near the base is that my first exposure to Ti plants, and the source of my obsession, was the Ti plant Cordyline fruticosa Pink Pepper growing in the conservatory at Longwood Gardens over the 2016-17 winter, and shown here:





As you can see, there does not appear to be a trunk. Based on the very helpful information all of you have provided here in this thread, I am wondering if the Pink Pepper plants were very recent cuttings that ultimately would grow trunks. Maybe I am wishing for and expecting something that is very un-natural when I want a Ti plant that doesn't develop a leafless trunk and, instead, maintains abundant foliage near its base. I would be very grateful for your perspective.

When mine get lanky like that, I cut them off short, and plant the cuttings alongside the original trunk. That solves the issue.

ScotTi said: I have thought that 'Fairchild Red' (aka 'Americana') would make for a nice sunny windowsill plant. This one stays small and compact. I have had my original plant for over 10 years and it has not grown over 12" tall. Makes for a nice bushy plant.




A more shade grown plant.


Not often seen for sale.




If I remember correctly I purchased my second addition from Mark Peters at a USF plant sale.
Web site: www.PetersCrotonNursery.com

Thank you for suggesting Fairchild Red, Scott. Your plant is beautiful, and its small size makes it sound like an excellent possibility for my sunny windowsill. I have sent an inquiry to Peters Croton Nursery. Their website states that they sell Crotons nationwide, but they do not say anything about selling Cordylines for mail-order delivery. Here's hoping!